Rhett Ahlander

You’re headed to a conference this week. You’ve booked your flight, hotel room and dinner reservations. But what about parking?

You’ll need to park at the airport while you’re away, and when your plane arrives, you’ll need a rental car and parking all over town. That’s not even considering all the receipts you’ll have to keep track of during the trip. You don’t need that added stress.

With ParkWhiz Business Profiles, you can book business parking while keeping payments organized. Switch easily between your personal and business profiles, designate separate payment methods for each, and send receipts to different emails. Plus, it’s free to use!

Once you’re set up, just select your Business Profile as your payment method when making your next ParkWhiz reservation.

Now, what about company-wide solutions? Maybe your company always has people on the road, and your office receives visitors multiple times a day. We can help with that, too.

ParkWhiz for Business allows your business to find and book parking for multiple cars in multiple locations, as well as send parking passes in advance to office visitors. Expenses are billed directly to your company—no company credit card needed—so you won’t have to track expenses with hundreds of paper receipts.

Parking for work doesn’t actually have to be work. Whether you’re the lone road warrior at your company or you’re part of an army of off-site employees, ParkWhiz offers essential tools to make managing parking expenses simpler for you and your business.

Thanksgiving brings family and friends together, more than almost any other holiday during the year. People around the world gather for food and memories. In Chicago, hours before dinner, millions of people look forward to the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade has a fantastic cast, including a 50-foot turkey balloon, Ronald McDonald and other well-known characters. Back in the 1930s, the parade was called the “Christmas Caravan.” Just coming off the Great Depression, the parade was created to boost the suffering economy and uplift broken spirits.

This year nearly 5,000 participants are expected to help out during the parade. Below are some first-timer tips to make the in-person experience easy and enjoyable.

When and Where is the Parade?

The Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade will go from 8–11 AM on November 23, 2017. The parade is held on State Street and progresses from Congress to Randolph.

Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade Route

You can expect as many as 400,000 people contending for space on the sidewalks during the parade. The most devoted parade attendees show up before 6 AM.

Best Places to Watch

Avoid the crowds. Anywhere along State Street provides a great view, but if you want a less-crowded area, try State and Adams. Remember, the farther north you go along the parade route, the busier it’ll be.

Who Will Be Featured in the Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade?

You’ll hear music from multiple local high school bands. There will be packs of horses, thanks to several equestrian units. The list of honored guests includes the Christkind from Christkindlmarket, Graham Elliot, the Harlem Globetrotters, Miss Illinois, Miss Illinois Teen and Twista. Many local businesses and organizations will also make appearances during the parade.

Are you going to the parade? Who with? Tell us all about it in the comments below.

Your Guide to the 2017 McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade was last modified: November 17th, 2017 by Rhett Ahlander

Since 1924, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been one of New York City’s most anticipated annual traditions. 22.3 million people watch the parade on TV and over 3.5 million see it in person every year. Below are some first-timer tips to make the in-person experience easy and enjoyable.

Find Your Place on the Sidewalk

Source: https://www.macys.com/social/parade/

Watching the parade is free, but you should get there early for the best view. The parade starts at 9 AM, but spectators start lining the streets at 6 AM. Find a parking space early and stay at your viewing area until the parade is over. Many of the performances happen near 34th Street, so that area fills up first, along with places at the start and end of the parade route.

Here are other great places to watch the parade:

Central Park West. The viewing starts at 75th Street, two blocks from the start. It’s only open on the west side; the other side is closed for invite-only grandstand seating.

Tickets on the Grandstand

Grandstand tickets to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are for friends and family of parade participants, employees and volunteers. Macy’s doesn’t sell them, but individual sellers can be found online. Also try asking around for any extra tickets.

Book a Room with a View

Several hotels offer Thanksgiving Day parade packages with great views of the parade, including the J.W. Marriott Parade View Room and the Residence Inn Prime View Room packages.

Make Restaurant Reservations

At some restaurants, people can watch the parade while they eat. However, most places require reservations on that day. Make sure to call ahead to reserve your table.

When we spoke with Bostonians on the streets, people described parking as “awful” and “excruciating.” One person asked if he could curse to illustrate his frustration.

But what makes parking so frustrating?

In our survey of drivers in major cities, we asked what makes downtown parking a hassle. In Boston, 8 out of 10 drivers said the cost was the biggest headache. Traffic and the lack of parking options near their destinations were also at the top of the list.

Overall, Boston is on par with the national numbers, but here’s what we found:

81 percent of Bostonians think parking costs are too high, which is 7 percent higher than the national average.

43 percent feel there’s a lack of parking near their destinations, and 42 percent think there aren’t enough parking spaces in downtown Boston.

Congratulations to the 2017 World Series Champions, the Houston Astros. Over the past couple of weeks hordes of people descended on Los Angeles and Houston, and hotels and parking lots were bursting at the seams.

With the spectacular seasons these teams had, you’d think these two cities would have the highest parking prices. But you’d be wrong. Based on ParkWhiz data, the city with the highest parking costs for baseball games is Boston. Other cities used in this data comparison include New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Houston.

When it comes to parking spots, Boston Red Sox fans pay 57% more than New York Yankees fans, and 215% more than Philadelphia Phillies fans during the regular season.

This data makes sense though. Sports are woven into the fabric of Boston, and the fans are among the most devoted in the nation. This devotion leaves game tickets and parking in short supply, and drives up prices as well. Everything about the gameday experience is expensive – from seats and parking spots to snacks and drinks.

According to Huffington Post, the team with the most expensive baseball experience is the Boston Red Sox, clocking in at $157 for two game tickets, two hot dogs, two drinks and parking. The second-most expensive experience is more affordable by almost $50.

But not all Boston teams demand top dollar for parking. When it comes to basketball, Boston Celtics fans pay 13% less than New York Knicks fans, and 5% less than Detroit Pistons fans. For hockey, Boston Bruins fans also save, paying 16% less than New York Islanders fans, but 51% more than Washington Capitals fans.

Although Red Sox fans rank among the highest baseball parking prices, they see the lowest increase in parking costs when transitioning from the regular season to the playoffs at only 2%. The highest increase is the Washington Nationals, with a 66% increase in parking prices when the playoff season hits.

But no matter the cost or struggle, sports fans – especially in Boston – will do what it takes for their teams.

Which Sports Fans Pay the Most for Parking? was last modified: November 2nd, 2017 by Rhett Ahlander